This thread is on the right track.

One good definition for wilderness, is any country more than five miles from the nearest road, including dirt roads.

It is worth mentioning that most wilderness areas worldwide do not have a permit system, named trails, or any trails for that matter. Most of Alaska, northern Canada, Siberia, and the Amazon fall in this category to name a few. Large areas of the no. Rockies allow for a similar experince closer to home.

In the US we have had many primitive areas before the Wilderness Act of 1964. We have many roadless areas that are "defacto wilderness" areas primarily on Forest Service lands. The BLM has their wilderness study areas (WSAs). Every few years Congress votes on a new round of places to be included as wilderness areas.

What this means is that to a large degree, our wilderness system is expanding, and many roads have been closed and rehabed in the process. Countless log buildings have been destroyed as a part of this program by the Forest Service.

Many rural counties in the western US outside of urban areas have fewer residents than they did in 1900.

When I moved to Nevada in 1987, there were no wilderness areas in the state, but now there are many although it is tough to get an accurate count because the number continues to increase. In a state that is 87 percent owned by the Fed Government, wilderness is not always welcome because it limits certain uses.